Use of e-media among pediatric dental professionals and postgraduate students in pediatric dentistry during COVID-19

Background: Health-care providers, particularly pediatric dentists, highly depend on electronic media. This survey attempts to assess how they have taken to e-media to keep themselves abreast of the current situation and use it efficiently. Objectives: To determine attitudes, awareness, and practices of e-media usage among pediatric dental professionals and postgraduate students in pediatric dentistry during the COVID-19. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of 958 pediatric dental practitioners and postgraduate students in pediatric dentistry from throughout India participated in a descriptive cross-sectional survey. An investigator-designed questionnaire comprising 23 close-ended questions related to the usage and various aspects of e-media before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Younger generations of pediatric dentistry are more active in the use of e-media. Dentists between the ages of 30 and 50 years are more likely to utilize social media in their profession than dentists above the age of 50 years. For academic purposes and patient communication, e-media was the most popular choice. Conclusion: The Indian pediatric dentistry profession has grown significantly with the use of e-media. © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkish dental professionals.

BACKGROUND: Due to the working conditions, while performing dental procedures, dental professionals may experience a sense fear and anxiety about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the levels of fear and anxiety about COVID-19 among dental professionals by using the Turkish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), and to explore the risk factors associated with the intensity of fear and anxiety. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between October 16 and October 23, 2020, during the normalization process, by sending an online survey to 813 dental professionals working in public and university hospitals in Turkey. The questionnaire contained questions about socio-demographic characteristics as well as epidemic-related questions. The levels of fear and anxiety were assessed by means of FCV-19S and CAS, respectively. RESULTS: The sample's mean scores were 18.48 ±5.47 for FCV-19S and 2.17 ±3.08 for CAS. Female participants expressed higher levels of fear of COVID-19 than male participants (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The fear and anxiety levels in dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic were found to be high.

Organizational Preventative Strategies Undertaken by Dental Clinics in Fiji during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Aim: This research aims to determine the organizational preventative strategies implemented by dental clinics in Fiji during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): This qualitative study was conducted amongst Dental Officers (Dos) and Dental Managers (DMs) who were working at government dental clinics, private dental clinics, and the School of Dentistry and Oral Health clinic (SDOH), in the Central Division, Fiji. A semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was used for data collection through in-depth interviews via zoom. A manual thematic analysis of the data was conducted. Result(s): Thirty Dos and 17 DMs participated in this study. 16 themes emerged from data analysis: Major Strategies implemented, Staff perception about strategies in place, Triaging and Screening, Hand hygiene, Waiting room changes, Operational Capacity, Universal precautions, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), Disinfection and decontamination protocols, Ventilation, Sterilization, Pre-procedural mouth rinse, Waste management, Vaccination status, Bubbles and Adaptation of Protocols. The Dos were generally satisfied with the strategies implemented by the DMs. The DMs along with other Dos had used various guidance documents to devise tailor-made ones suited for dental clinics in Fiji. Conclusion(s): Various strategies were adopted from several guidelines and tailor-made Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each workplaces were developed by the various DMs. The majority of Dos were in favor of and satisfied with the protocols in place. Future research can be conducted in other divisions and include other health care professionals as well apart from just Dos and DMs. Copyright © 2023 Kajal and Mohammadnezhad.

Apprehensions and Optimism among Dental Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Evaluation.

Globally, the pandemic of the coronavirus disease, which started in Wuhan, China, has become a major issue for public health. The COVID-19 epidemic notably causes health professionals to experience significantly more emotional stress than the general populace. The present study proposes to investigate the fear aspect in dentists in the initiation of clinical practice during these times. An online cross-sectional study was conducted among dental practitioners based on a pre-validated questionnaire. The data were expressed as frequency and percentage analyzed using the chi-square test using SPSS version 25. The data was obtained from 271 participants, where clinical practice after the first wave was mostly by freelancers (p-value = 0.01); most of whom were married (p-value = 0.065); 19.1% attached to institutes did not have changes in earnings; 28.1% of private practitioners had less than 10% reduction in cases. A total of 62% of private practitioners are concerned about the vaccine's preventative effects (p-value = 0.026), and 57% of private practitioners worry about being sued for the delay in treatment (p-value = 0.036). Only 33.1% of employees in institutions worry that becoming sick could endanger their family. As dentists continue to work their way through this pandemic, these pressures only occasionally have an impact on them. According to the researchers, this is the first study that has captured the anxiety and apprehensions that dental practitioners experienced during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in India in April 2021. The study's findings demonstrate that the study population was generally upbeat and confident that they could quickly overcome their fear.

Covid-19 Awareness, Its Relation with Periodontal Diseases, and Practice among Dental Professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most pressing and prevalent health issue worldwide. Globally, it has claimed thousands of lives. The majority of people who are infected suffer mild to moderate illnesses. Periodontal disease management is vital during this period when dentistry is operating below its pre-COVID-19 capacity levels. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among Saudi dental professionals using an online survey. 300 dentists from Riyadh city will be utilized in this study. An online questionnaire was constructed to measure the awareness and effects. The statistical analysis reported that more than half the sample comprised female participants (66.2%), and the majority of participants were with working experience of few than 10 years working as general dentists. 68.9% of them thought COVID-19 could be asymptomatic, and 53.4% think telephonic staging is safe. Manual scaling is thought to have a higher risk of spreading infection. 62.1% possess fumigators in a clinic, 69.4% refrain in peak pandemic from performing non-emergency periodontal cases, and 43.4% thought COVID had affected overall periodontal practice. In the present study, findings revealed that the majority of dental experts believe in precautions, COVID-19 relevance to periodontitis, its complications, and people at higher risks of complications with other diseases. The difference in experience exists in general dentists and specialists on preferred mouth rinse manual scaling as a procedure at risk of spreading infection. COVID-19 affected overall practice according to a majority of participants.

Quality of Life and Satisfaction from Career and Work-Life Integration of Greek Dentists before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Quality of life (QoL) of dental professionals is a basic parameter of the quality of dental services (QS), a fact well-documented before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries. This study is a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey aimed to explore possible differences in satisfaction from career and work-life integration, as well as QoL in a sample of Greek dentists during the second lockdown in March 2021. Methods: 804 dentists from the vast metropolitan area of Athens and Piraeus selectively responded by completing a self-reported questionnaire based on: the Copenhagen Questionnaire (CQ) for assessing work stress; the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) for evaluating personal accomplishment; and the Quality-of-Life work scale (ProQOL-CSF). Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: QoL and career satisfaction were significantly diminished during the pandemic. Career satisfaction despite the pandemic was overall influenced in tandem by age (b = 0.427, p = 0.001), marital status (b = 0.276, p = 0.021), and inversely by years of practice (b = -0.330, p = 0.007) and income (b = -0.221, p = 0.015). Satisfaction from the work-life integration was influenced before the pandemic by marital status (b = 0.255 p = 0.013), years of practice (b = -0.371, p = 0.0001), while gender, years of practice, age, higher education, and income played a significant role during the pandemic. QoL was impacted before pandemic by age (b = -1.007, p = 0.001), number of children (b = -1.704, p = 0.018), and higher degree (b = -1.143, p = 0.001), while during the pandemic by gender (b = -0.582, p = 0.002), number of children (b = 0.469, p = 0.037), higher degree (b = 0.279, p = 0.009), and years of practice (b = -0.523, p = 0.0001). Males were more prone to low QoL, and dissatisfaction with career and work-life integration, during the pandemic. Income is a predictor of career satisfaction despite the pandemic. Personal resources through deep human relationships, higher education, beliefs, and values can offer a resilience shield against professional difficulties in periods of unexpected stressful events.

The Perception of Evidence-based Dentistry among Dental Professionals in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused extraordinary changes in dental practices, including evidence-based dentistry (EBD). Despite dental practitioners' positive attitudes toward EBD, implementation has been limited. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of EBD among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia and explore the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on perceptions of EBD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire that was distributed electronically to dentists and dental students in Saudi Arabia. Multiple linear regression and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results: The mean knowledge score was 48.33 ± 13.63 out of 70 points, with 37.31% to 60.45% awareness of EBD components. Only 37% were aware of the Cochrane Collaboration. Specialist/consultants and participants from the central region had significantly better knowledge scores. Lack of time (75.60%) was the most significant barrier to EBD. Only 36.60% of participants used EBD for treatment procedures. Most (72.4%-80.6%) believed the pandemic increased EBD's importance, 67.70% believed that EBD should be mandatory, and 62.90% believed all decisions in dental clinics will follow EBD in the future. However, 53.50% reported that EBD material was difficult to follow during COVID-19. Conclusions: The level of knowledge about EBD among dental professionals in Saudi Arabia is relatively acceptable. It is difficult to put EBD to practice due to the overwhelming flow of information. More educational and organizational efforts should be implemented to advocate for EBD.

Estimation of Factors Affecting Burnout in Greek Dentists before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study is a comprehensive, cross-sectional survey in occupational burnout, career satisfaction, and quality of life conducted in March 2021 among dentists in the vast area of metropolitan Athens, Greece. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire based on the Copenhagen Questionnaire (CQ) for assessing work stress and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) for evaluating occupational burnout. Using the independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression, 804 valid questionnaires were analyzed. During the pandemic, personal exhaustion was affected by gender (b = 1.862, p = 0.0001), age (b = -0.598, p = 0.0001), number of children (b = -0.886, p = 0.020) and higher degree (b = -0.450, p = 0.012). Exhaustion due to working with patients was affected by gender (b = 0.662 p = 0.0001), age (b = -0.513, p = 0.0001), number of children (b = -0.701, p = 0.0001), higher degree (b = -0.207, p = 0.028) and years in practice (b = 0.408 p = 0.0001). Males were more prone to unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and professional physical and emotional exhaustion, but personal resources through higher education, beliefs, values, and hobbies can offer a preventive shield to all dental professionals. Economic management issues can also enhance dentists' satisfaction and feeling of safety in a rapidly changing environment.

Perceptions and Preparedness of Dental Professionals toward COVID-19-Related Oral Manifestations in India.

Background: With the reports of oral manifestations observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients snowballing day-by-day, it calls for the attention of dental professionals to keep themselves updated regarding these manifestations and how to prevent and manage them in COVID-infected patients. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the perceptions and preparedness of dental professionals in India toward the COVID-19-related oral manifestations. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted on dental professionals using a pretested and validated questionnaire. Six hundred and twenty-three responses obtained from January 23, 2021 to February 15, 2021 were included in the study. Results: Mean knowledge scores regarding COVID-19-related oral manifestations were noted to be significantly high among males (13.5 ± 4.9), having a PhD (18.3 ± 5.8), belonging to the specialty of oral medicine and radiology (15.6 ± 4.7), with more than 15 years of clinical experience (15.4 ± 4.7) and practicing in metropolitan areas (13.7 ± 5.03). Tele-consultation and advising palliative care (65.5%) were the most preferred ways of managing COVID-19-related oral manifestations. Ninety-one percentage of the participants felt that inclusion of dentists in the intensive care unit multiprofessional teams, would contribute toward early diagnosis and management of oral manifestations. Conclusion: Study noted lower knowledge scores pertaining to COVID-19-related oral manifestations among BDS graduates with <5 years of clinical experience calling for the implementation of continuing dental education on the oral manifestations occurring in COVID-19 patients.

Covid-19 Outbreak - Immediate and long-term impacts on the dental profession.

The health professions and systems have been challenged evoking heightened reactions around the globe as response to Covid-19. While most heavily impacted, the role of the dental professionals in preventing the transmission and responding to its long-term impacts on dentistry is critically important. This report, while outlining the immediate impact that the Covid-19 outbreak currently has on dental healthcare professionals, it also looks at some heavier impacts that this outbreak might have on the profession of dentistry. As such this manuscript offers some suggestions and recommendations based on personal feeling.

A Survey of Self-perceived Physical Discomforts and Health Behaviors Related to Personal Protective Equipment of Indian Dental Professionals during COVID-19 Pandemic.

AIM: In the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment has to be mandatorily worn by dental professionals all times in the dental clinical settings. The aim of this study was to assess the physical discomforts and related health issues faced by dental professionals while wearing personal protective equipment in dental clinical settings during the pandemic. METHODS: This was an online cross-sectional survey conducted in November to December 2020 among dental professionals of various regions of country. A prevalidated questionnaire was sent through email/WhatsApp groups to 650 dental professionals. Informed consent was taken from all the participants. Information was collected about the demographics, type of dental set-up, average daily working hours, types of PPE worn, physical discomforts related to the various procedures in dentistry. Association was analyzed between demographics and the discomforts using Chi-square test. RESULTS: A total of 309 dental professionals (163 females, 146 males) from all parts of the country responded to the online questionnaire. Maximum respondents were postgraduates or pursuing MDS (79%), majority (42.1%) were pediatric dentists followed by general dentists. Sweating, difficulty in vision, difficulty in breathing, and headache were the common discomforts reported by majority of the respondents. Headache and difficult breathing were more significantly associated with female dental professionals (p < 0.05). N95 wear was associated with breathing difficulty (56%) while use of faceshield led to the discomforts in visual acuity in 46% respondents. CONCLUSION: The survey has depicted several challenges and various physical discomforts being experienced by the dental professionals during this pandemic. Although wearing PPE is associated with difficulties to dentists but it is extremely essential to wear PPEs for self-protection during the ongoing pandemic. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Bansal K, Saji S, Mathur VP, et al. A Survey of Self-perceived Physical Discomforts and Health Behaviors Related to Personal Protective Equipment of Indian Dental Professionals during COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(6):784-789.

Emotional well-being of dentists and the effect of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic: A nationwide study.

BACKGROUND: Lockdown in India might have adverse effects on the emotional health of the dental professionals; hence, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of various factors on emotional well-being of dental professionals due to the effect of lockdown during COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive, questionnaire study conducted on dentists in India during April 2020. Sampling technique was convenient sampling, and sampling frame was all the dental professionals in India. The questionnaire was prepared online using Google Forms, and the link was generated which was shared among as many dentists accessible as possible, with the help of message, mails, and WhatsApp. The questionnaire consists of questions on Demographic details, practice, and emotional well-being. A total of 1844 dental professionals in 14 states in India responded. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS version no. 20. IBM SPSS version 20.0 (IBM; Armonk, New York USA) Descriptive statistics and multinomial regression test was applied. RESULTS: Majority of study participants (1096 [59.4%]) belonged to age group of 26-35 years. Emotional well-being score of 1206 (65.4%) dental professionals in the times of COVID-19 outbreak was poor with score between 26 and 78. It was assessed that males have significantly (P = 0.00**) (P < 0.001**) (**highly significant) poorer emotional well-being 0.085 (0.829-1.429) compared to females. Married dental professionals - 0.023 (0.011-1.221) had significantly better (P = 0.05*) emotional well-being than others. CONCLUSION: Emotional well-being score of majority of dental professionals in the times of COVID-19 outbreak was poor. Gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, years of experience, practicing in clinic, and average number of patients seen per month before lockdown have significant impact on emotional wellbeing of dental professionals.

Evidence mapping and quality analysis of published dental literature on COVID-19 - A systematic review.

A large number of scientific articles have been published regarding impact of COVID-19 infection on dental practice, dental professionals, and the mode of spread of infection via dental procedures. The present systematic review was planned with an aim of evidence mapping and quality analysis of published research on the dental aspects of COVID-19 infection. The protocol was registered at https://share.osf.io/registration/46221-C87-BA8. The search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases till 15th July 2020. There was no restriction of year of publication and language. All types of published articles related to Dentistry, Dentist, Dental practice, and Oral health education on COVID-19 were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools were used for the risk of bias analysis of included studies. A total of 393 articles were short-listed and were checked for eligibility and finally, 380 articles were included. Among the 380 research articles published (till July 15, 2020), the majority of the included articles belonged to the lowermost strata of the evidence pyramid. There were 54 original research articles with no randomized clinical trial, systematic review or, meta-analysis pertaining to the dental perspective of COVID-19 infection. The level of available evidence about dentistry and COVID-19 infection is very low with a lack of researches of highest quality. The guidelines/recommendations for dental professionals, proposed by the different scientific organizations/societies regarding COVID-19 infection are only consensus-based necessitating the need to formulate evidence-based guidelines. There is a need to identify essential research questions and strengthen the study designs in most of the aspects related to the dentistry and COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects on dental practice. An International survey.

OBJECTIVES: A multicentre survey was designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dental practice worldwide, estimate the COVID-19 related symptoms/signs, work attitudes and behaviour and the routine use of protective measures and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). METHODS: A global survey using a standardized questionnaire with research groups from 36 countries was designed. The questionnaire was developed and pretested during April 2020 and contained three domains: 1) Personal data; 2) COVID-19 positive rate and symptoms/signs presumably related to the coronavirus; 3) Working conditions and PPE adopted after the outbreak. Countries' data were grouped by the Country Positive Rate (CPR) during the survey period and by Gross-National-Income per capita. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was carried out with COVID-19 self-reported rate referred by dental professionals as dependent variable to assess the association with questionnaire items. RESULTS: A total of 52,491 questionnaires were returned with a male/female ratio of 0.63. Out of the total respondents, 7,859 dental professionals (15%) reported symptoms/signs compatible with COVID-19. More than half of the sample (n = 27,818; 53%) stated to use FFP2/N95 masks, while 21,558 (41.07%) used eye protection. In the bivariate analysis, CPR and N95/FFP2 were significantly associated (OR = 1.80 95%CI = 1.60/2.82 and OR = 5.20 95%CI = 1.44/18.80, respectively), while Gross-National-Income was not statistically associated with CPR (OR = 1.09 95%CI = 0.97/1.60). The same significant associations were observed in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Oral health service provision has not been significantly affected by COVID-19, although access to routine dental care was reduced due to country-specific temporary lockdown periods. While the dental profession has been identified at high-risk, the reported rates of COVID-19 for dental professionals were not significantly different to those reported for the general population in each country. These findings may help to better plan oral health care for future pandemic events.

Knowledge, Perception, and Attitude on Conservative and Endodontic Practice on COVID Pandemic Situation: A Qualitative Research.

AIM: The purpose of our study was to analyze the knowledge and attitude of conservative as well as endodontic practice among dental professionals during coronavirus pandemic situation. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 3 months among 1256 dental surgeons, which included 400 MDS and 856 BDS dentists. Questionnaire assessed knowledge of the participants about COVID-19, risk assessment about the pandemic, preparedness of the participants, as well as specific precautions in cases which require conservative and endodontic treatment strategies against COVID-19. RESULTS: It was observed that around 83% of the study participants felt that rubber dams are a useful tool to prevent cross-infections, even COVID-19. However, COVID-19 prevention techniques such as use of low-speed handpiece and chemicomechanical techniques were preferred by a smaller number of participants: 25% of participants by former, only 12% for the latter. To prevent aerosol splatter, use of high-volume suction was preferred by 49% of dental surgeons. CONCLUSION: In our study, we concluded that dental surgeons, who come under high risk category; had good basic knowledge about COVID-19 disease process as well as transmission. However, it is imperative that these clinicians need to be extra cautious in handling cases during this pandemic time and limit the disease spread as well.

COVID-19 Guidelines to Protect Healthcare Workers at Hospitals and Dental Professionals at Dental Office.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. This study aimed to address the preventive procedures to protect healthcare workers at hospital to avoid COVID-19, and infection control procedures to protect dental professionals in dental office. METHODS: We conducted a search of published articles from PubMed, google scholar databases using key words such as COVID-19, healthcare worker, infection control, and dental practice. Relevant articles were identified and reviewed. Most published papers were clinical reports and case studies. We have selected some of the current published papers written in English in 2020. RESULTS: Infection control procedures to protect health workers at hospitals, and dental professionals at dental office were summurised and presented. Infection control procedures for healthcare workers at hospitals include Personal protective equipment, Korea filter (KF)94 respirator, goggles, face protector, disposable waterproof long-arm gown, and gloves, and others. Extra-protection procedures should be taken with old and vulnerable healthcare workers. Dental professionals should evaluate patients in advance before starting dental treatment. Aerosols generating procedures should be avoided and personal protective equipment should be used. Dental treatment should be restricted to emergency cases only. CONCLUSION: Old medical staff should be in safer distance to avoid infection, but young physicians and nurses should work at frontline as their immunity is better than their colleagues at old age. Screening patients and measurement of the body temperature are essential measures before dental treatment.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among dental health care professionals: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: With the increasing severity of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential that dental health care professionals (DHCPs) are prepared. The study aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among DHCPs in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted. A validated and reliable questionnaire was developed that comprised 44 questions. Using Qualtrics survey software, DHCPs working in different settings were approached across five geographical regions of Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: A total of 318 respondents voluntarily participated in the survey. Most DHCPs showed a moderate level of knowledge (51.6%), a positive attitude (92.1%) and adequate practice standards (86.5%). We found that 94.7% of DHCPs had an adequate overall level of KAP. DHCPs with a doctorate significantly outscored DHCPs with other educational levels with respect to knowledge and practice. Older (51-60 years) DHCPs reported significantly more knowledge than younger DHCPs. CONCLUSION: DHCPs displayed an average level of knowledge that needs to be enhanced through continuing education programmes. However, they showed a positive attitude and an acceptable level of practice, as they were abiding by guidelines issued from various international and national health agencies.

A Scoping Review of Respirator Literature and a Survey among Dental Professionals.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus was discovered in China in late 2019 and subsequently triggered a global pandemic. Dentists, like many other health professionals, are at an increased risk of contracting the virus as they work in close proximity to patients, especially when performing aerosol-generating procedures. Thus, in order for dentists to protect themselves and their patients, it is recommended that practitioners wear filtering facepiece 2 (FFP2) respirators. The prolonged use of these FFP2 respirators has been linked to several side effects. The aim of this paper is to assess the perceived experience associated with N95/FFP2 respirators based on the available literature and data collected through an online survey completed by Italian dental professionals. Articles were included up to May 2020 and literature searches were conducted through The National Library of Medicine, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase databases. The search terms included COVID-19, respirators, masks, and discomfort. An online survey was administered to 256 Italian dentists. The results from this survey were in agreement with the available literature. The findings concurred that the prolonged use of respirators was associated with headaches (47.5%), severe exertion and discomfort (50.8%), moderate concentration problems (54.3%), moderate breathing difficulties (63.5%), and consequently, an impaired work ability (85.5%). These findings were not influenced by the number of hours spent wearing the respirator. Despite several side effects, FFP2 respirators are fundamental in protecting dentists and their importance was acknowledged.

Preparedness among dental professionals towards COVID-19 in India.

INTRODUCTION: novel corona virus infection has become a public health crisis leading the world to a standstill including dentistry. However, since the dental services cannot be stopped for a long period it is important that dentist be fully prepared before resuming their services. Therefore, the current study was carried out for evaluating knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) along with perceived barriers to practice dentistry during pandemic. METHODS: this cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey questionnaire on dentists of India. Dentists were enquired for demographics, KAP and perceived barriers regarding practicing dentistry during pandemic. The knowledge was assessed based on 16 items in true or false or multiple choice questions format getting score of 1 or 0. The attitude and practices by 8 items each, on 5-point Likert scale and 4 items perceived barriers were enquired. The differences between the median scores among demographic variables were determined by applying student's t-test and keeping level of significance at below 0.05. RESULTS: out of 500 dentists who were approached through email, a total of 296 dentists returned the questionnaire (response rate, 59.2%) among which 22 questionnaires were incomplete and thus excluded making 274 as final study participants. Overall poor median scores of knowledge and practices were obtained whereas for attitude total median score was good. Median practice scores were significantly higher among female respondents (20(6)). Median knowledge and practice scores were significantly better in study participants with age <40 years (6(4) and 19(5), respectively). CONCLUSION: with the recent claims of authorities that virus is going to stay in world for quite some time it is essential that dentists must be fully prepared before resuming their services and must attain proper awareness to limit the disease spread.